A method for producing hydrogen could bring fuel-cell automobiles and home heating and cooling systems closer to reality.

Researchers at Japan’s Waseda University have developed a method for producing hydrogen that they say is quick, irreversible, and takes place at lower temperatures using less energy than conventional methods.

Proton hopping during catalytic reaction. Credit: Yasushi Sekine/ Waseda University Under typical processing conditions, hydrogen is extracted from methane and steam using a nickel catalyst at temperatures of more than 700 degrees Celsius, or nearly 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. This amount of energy creates a hurdle to more widespread use of the fuel.

The method developed by the Waseda University group allows hydrogen extraction at temperatures as low as 150 - 200 degrees C. This shift reduces the amount of energy needed to produce hydrogen fuel, extends catalyst life, lowers the cost of construction materials, and reduces the complexity of cooling systems.

Researchers say they believe they are among the first to explain the mechanism by observing the catalyst during reaction. Protons move quickly through water adsorbed on the catalyst's surface and this surface-hopping by the protons allows the reaction to proceed at low temperatures. Collision of the protons and the adsorbates also prevents reversal of the reaction, they say.

Hydrogen is considered a clean fuel because it burns in the presence of oxygen, leaving behind only water in the form of steam. Researchers believe application of the new production method could speed the commercialization of hydrogen and also lead to other innovations. The process is being applied to research for improving energy efficiency in automobiles by creating reactions between exhaust gases and fuel at low temperatures, they say.